All Cecilia Tkaczyk's Contenthttp://www.nysenate.gov/senator/cecilia-tkaczyk/content
enThe Daily Mail: Broadband, gas tax on business’ short listhttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/daily-mail-broadband-gas-tax-business-short-list
<p style="font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #666666;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By Audrey Matott Columbia-Greene Media</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">CATSKILL — The Greene County Chamber of Commerce along with State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk hosted a small business roundtable discussion at the Bridge Street Theater in Catskill on Monday. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the challenges small businesses face and to hear ideas on answers to those challenges.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As an elected official, Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, encouraged the local business owners to share their input on areas where Tkaczyk would be able to focus on assisting them in improving the local business climate and to nurture economic development.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I am someone who is interested in your input and what you have to say because it helps me decide where to put our energy,” said Tkaczyk.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Among the suggestions Tkaczyk made about what could be done to help improve the business climate in Greene County was rural broadband Internet access.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“It’s really hard for businesses to open, for businesses to expand if they’re not connected with high-speed internet access,” said Tkaczyk. “Schools have a problem because in rural areas we are doing more with distance learning. We have to have that broadband access and I think that is one of the things that would help drive the economic development aspects of upstate New York more.”</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As many locals are aware and as Tkaczyk explained, it has been difficult to expand broadband access to the more rural areas of the county because of the regional topography and other boundaries.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Of course, local small business owners had suggestions as well as to what they feel would help improve the success of their businesses.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Kathleen McQuaid of KathodeRay Media of Greenville suggested grants for workforce development would be an incentive for employers to provide on-the-job training for new employees.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“It makes it easier for the employee to transition on and eases the burden for the small business employer,” said McQuaid.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Dan Viles, general manager of WYBN in Windham recommended that it would be helpful to business owners to ease the gas tax.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Viles said, “Businesses, when they are locating, big companies, on their check-off list is the cost of gasoline, cost of electricity, how much fiber, how fast and how easy? Is it setup already in the building or is it going to be a wait to get it in and if it isn’t in the building already, boom, they go to the next city or state.”</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The issue of broad band Internet access to the more rural areas of the county was discussed at length between the small business owners, Tkaczyk and Greene County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jeff Friedman. Friedman expressed that bringing fiber broadband Internet access to the county is a hot topic in discussions for further economic development.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The county economic office has been working on this extensively,” Fried said.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He went on to say, “The county actually has a plan, the problem that we have is some of the most underserved areas are some of the most mountainous areas on the mountaintop.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“One of the things the county has investigated recently is creating a wireless high-speed broadband network throughout the county and constructing a series of towers throughout the county that would do several things. One would be to improve the emergency services communications throughout the county. We’ve got serious problems that came about as a result of both what happened in parts of the county from Sandy, certainly what happened from Irene.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“So they are addressing that by starting to construct this network of towers throughout the county for the communications. What they have begun to do is study whether or not it would be feasible and they brought in a wireless broadband company to study the fact that once this network of towers is constructed whether or not they could fill most of the gaps in the county via wireless broadband.”</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In speaking of progressing economic growth through the success of small businesses, Friedman added, “Without high-speed broadband we are basically operating with one hand tied behind our back.”</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Tkaczyk supported the idea of improving high-speed Internet access to rural areas. However she did say that she felt fiber would be the optimal choice as opposed to wireless. Nevertheless, she explained that regardless of what endeavors the county chooses to pursue, she would do what she could do on her end but that it would be a partnership between the county and state.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I can’t tell what the best option is here in Greene County. They are working on the plan, gathering information, but we have to make sure that there are resources there and advocacy to make sure we get some of that support here in Greene County, Tkaczyk said.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“What I am suggesting is that there be some money available from the pool of funds that is coming to the state to help rural communities, like Greene County, get more fiber in the ground and more people connected.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“So I am trying to get money to do what you need to do here locally. I don’t know what you will ultimately apply for, because that would be up to the county that is working on the plan and knows what is needed and is applying.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #333233;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I want to get the money where we can access it and I want to make sure you get it, but I need you to apply. So it is going to be about a partnership.”</span></p>
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Economic DevelopmentTue, 16 Sep 2014 12:04:26 +0000Jim Plastiras246486 at http://www.nysenate.govTkaczyk Measure Will Help Fight Adolescent Drug Addiction http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/tkaczyk-measure-will-help-fight-adolescent-drug-addiction
<p style="text-align: left;">State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, working with local officials and advocates, has introduced legislation that will help address the growing epidemic of drug abuse and addiction in vulnerable children as young as 12 years old.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Senator Tkaczyk noted recent studies showing an alarming increase in the use of drugs by middle and high school students.&nbsp; Her measure would help parents detect a potential problem by allowing for drug screening of children between the ages of 12 and 18 as part of their annual health care physical examination.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">“Drug use among vulnerable young people is reaching epidemic proportions,” Senator Tkaczyk said. “I worked closely with health care providers and educators to develop this legislation and ensure that parents are aware of potential problems and can secure the treatment their children need.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Dr. Govind Rao</strong>&nbsp;is an Amsterdam pediatrician who has taken a leadership role in fighting drug abuse among young school children. Dr. Rao said, “I thank Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk for sponsoring this important&nbsp;measure which will help deter young, vulnerable children from trying illegal drugs and reduce the potential for becoming addicted.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Ladan Alomar</strong>, executive director of Centro Civico in Amsterdam, said, “Centro Civico is dedicated to helping young people avoid the horrors of drug use and addiction.&nbsp; Senator Tkaczyk’s measure will help children who need help, without destroying their opportunities for a successful and productive future.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Rev. Kent A. Mc Heard</strong>&nbsp;said,&nbsp; “As president of the Greater Amsterdam School District Board of Education, as a parent of two school children in the district and as the spouse of an educator, I strongly support Senator Tkaczyk's bill to help fight drug abuse in our schools. &nbsp;While protecting our children is our primary goal, I also appreciate the fiscal implications and the fact that drug addiction costs our society approximately $170 billion annually. &nbsp;Imagine if just some of that money could be used to educate our students and improve our schools.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Margaret Clark</strong>, Prevention Educator for HFM Prevention Council and a member of MCAP (Montgomery County Allies in Prevention Coalition) said, "The goals of Senator Tkaczyk's bill to identify potential drug problems and to intervene early are proactive, cost effective and in the best interests of our youth."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Senator Tkaczyk’s bill --&nbsp;<strong>S.7934</strong>&nbsp;-- provides four major initiatives that serve to focus on adolescent drug use, and treat it as a disease:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">1) Allows for drug screening of children between the ages of 12 and 18 as part of their annual health care physical examination;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">2) Requires health insurance to cover the cost of these drug screens without co-payment, deductible or co-insurance;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">3) Provides that the results of these drug screens remain confidential, even from the health insurance company; and</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">4) Provides that in the absence of any other indications of child abuse or neglect, a positive drug screen, by itself, does not meet the requirements of child abuse reporting by mandatory reporters.</p>
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DrugsThu, 04 Sep 2014 18:12:50 +0000Jim Plastiras245756 at http://www.nysenate.govDAILY FREEMAN: Sen. Tkaczyk calls on state to stop NYC’s muddy discharges from Ashokan Reservoir into Lower Esopus Creekhttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/daily-freeman-sen-tkaczyk-calls-state-stop-nyc-s-muddy-discharges-ashokan-reservoir-lower-esopu
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">By William J. Kemble</span></p>
<p>08/04/14</p>
<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk wants the state Department of Environmental Conservation to put end to New York City’s muddy water discharges from the Ashokan Reservoir into the Lower Esopus Creek.</span></p>
<p>“These discharges are polluting the [creek],” Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, said in a statement issued Monday. “And they are having a negative impact on the quality of life for many Ulster County residents. It is up to New York City to remediate these problems if they want to continue to use the Ashokan Reservoir without building a filtration system.”</p>
<p>The city, at times, discharges turbid, muddy water from the reservoir into the 32-mile creek to prevent it from reaching drinking water customers downstate. The process also spares the city the cost of building a water filtration plant for its upstate supply but, critics say, harms the creek, its wildlife and its shoreline.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk, who’s running for re-election this fall, issued her statement just 18 days before the state’s Aug. 22 deadline for public input about what should be included in a scoping document that will compel the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to evaluate how its handling of the reservoir has impacted downstream communities.</p>
<p>The scoping document is part of the process under which the state is being asked to renew the city’s “pollutant discharge elimination system permit.”</p>
<p>Until now, the city has not been required to consider the impact of the muddy discharges on either the Lower Esopus Creek or the Hudson River, into which the creek spills at Saugerties. Nevertheless, the city has the state’s permission to discharge up to 600 million gallons per day of turbid water from the Ashokan’s west basin and another 400 million gallons per day from the east basin.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk, in written comments to state environmental officials, said the process of conducting environmental reviews after permission is granted strikes her as being in violation of state laws.</p>
<p>“I must state my concern that it appears that this (pollutant discharge) permit application process is rather unusual, as it is an effort to obtain validation of a massive discharge regimen that has already been occurring for years,” she wrote.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk said the discharges contribute to downstream flooding and send “tons of pollutants” into the creek.</p>
<p>The discharges are “affecting local farmers, who are reporting that their irrigation equipment is clogging because of the mud in the water,” she said. “It’s also affecting fishing and the natural beauty of the [creek], which is hurting tourism and recreation.</p>
<p>“It is essential that the DEC require the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to outline all reasonable alternatives to the current release plans and proposals,” she wrote.</p>
<p>City officials were not immediately available for comment on Monday.</p>
<p>Comments regarding the city’s request for renews “pollutant discharge elimination system permit” may be emailed to <a href="mailto:ashokan@gw.state.ny.us">ashokan@gw.state.ny.us</a> or mailed to NYSDEC Central Office, Division of Environmental Permits, Attention: Stephen Tomasik, project manager, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, N.Y. 12233-1750. The deadline is Aug. 22.</p>
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EnvironmentMon, 04 Aug 2014 20:47:04 +0000Jim Plastiras243736 at http://www.nysenate.govTkaczyk Calls on DEC to Protect Esopus River http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/tkaczyk-calls-dec-protect-esopus-river
<p>State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk delivered testimony to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) calling on the agency to protect the Lower Esopus River and put an end to New York City’s discharges of muddy water from the Ashokan Reservoir into the Esopus.</p>
<p>“These discharges are polluting the river,” Tkaczyk said, “And they are having a negative impact on the quality of life for many Ulster County residents. It is up to New York City to remediate these problems if they want to continue to use the Ashokan Reservoir without building a filtration system.”</p>
<p>Tkaczyk said the discharges are “affecting local farmers, who are reporting that their irrigation equipment is clogging because of the mud in the water. It’s also affecting fishing and the natural beauty of the river, which is hurting tourism and recreation.”</p>
<p>In order to protect NYC’s drinking water supply in the Ashokan Reservoir, the City’s Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) releases up to 600 million gallons of highly turbid, muddy water per day from the reservoir into the Lower Esopus Creek.&nbsp; Those releases have created many problems for Ulster County residents and business owners near the creek, including polluted water and an increased frequency of flooding.</p>
<p>New York City has been granted a Filtration Avoidance Determination, which is now up for a renewal. As part of the process, the DOH must consider revisions and accept public comment.</p>
<p>The State DEC must approve the amount of turbid water than can be released from the reservoir system into the local waterways, and in particular the Lower Esopus River. This approved release is granted through the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit process.</p>
<p>The DEC is collecting testimony though&nbsp;August 22nd&nbsp;regarding the scope of the SPDES permit. &nbsp;NYC DEP is requesting a very limited review, but Tkaczyk said a complete and comprehensive review is necessary to determine the full impact the releases are having on the river and the nearby residents. She also said that all alternatives to the release should be considered, including requiring NYC to build a filtration system.</p>
<p>Many local environmental groups are also calling for a strict review, and Tkaczyk said local residents should get involved as well. “The DEC will be taking public comments until August 22,” Tkaczyk said. “Make sure your voice is heard.”</p>
<p>Comments can be addressed to NYSDEC Central Office – Division of Environmental Permits, Attn: Stephen Tomasik, Project Manager, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, N.Y. 12233-1750.</p>
<p>Comments can be sent by email to <a href="mailto:ashokan@gw.state.ny.us">ashokan@gw.state.ny.us</a>.</p>
<p>The environmental group Riverkeeper has additional information on their website: riverkeeper.org/get-involved/take-action</p>
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EnvironmentMon, 04 Aug 2014 16:03:53 +0000Jim Plastiras243656 at http://www.nysenate.govDaily Mail: Tkaczyk tours Kaaterskill Falls with eye on safetyhttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/daily-mail-tkaczyk-tours-kaaterskill-falls-eye-safety
<p>By Kyle Adams&nbsp;<br /> Columbia-Greene Media</p>
<p>HAINES FALLS — New York State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk met with local leaders Sunday afternoon for a tour of Kaaterskill Falls, where one of several recent accidents resulted in the death of a Dutchess County woman.</p>
<p>The waterfall is a popular tourist destination, but the dangerous terrain and tendency of tourists to hike unprepared has led to numerous accidents and deaths over the years.</p>
<p>“I wanted to experience it firsthand and see and understand the challenges,” Tkaczyk said Sunday. “It’s a great asset in the area and we need to make sure that people can enjoy it safely.”</p>
<p>Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, was joined by Tannersville Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Tuomey; Jeff Senterman, senior program coordinator at the NY-NJ Trail Conference; Michelle Yost, coordinator of the Watershed Assistance Program for the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District; Hunter Town Councilman David Kukle; and representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk saw firsthand Sunday the dangerous parking and walking conditions along Route 23A, where visitors park to access the trailhead to Kaaterskill Falls.</p>
<p>“Kaaterskill Falls is the Catskill Park hike,” said Senterman. “Even if you hike nowhere else in the Catskills, you’ll hike here.”</p>
<p>Those gathered noted that misinformation or a lack of information often leads to tragedy: the relatively short hike from the road to the falls, about half a mile, does not seem imposing, but slick rocks and the temptation to venture beyond the maintained trails can become dangerous quickly in the wrong footwear. As Tkaczyk hiked in Sunday, the group passed casual hikers in flip-flops and loafers, some shoeless, some carrying small children and walking dogs.</p>
<p>One family noted that they hadn’t planned on making the hike that day, so hadn’t dressed properly for it; they wore flip-flops and slick-soled sneakers. New York State Forest Ranger Robert Dawson, who made the hike with Tkaczyk’s group, advised them to stick to the marked trails.</p>
<p>According to Tuomey, local first responders have already responded to 18 rescue calls on hiking trails, nine of them at Kaaterskill Falls. Standing at the bottom of the falls, the group observed young girls taking photos of each other and parents holding small children high up on the edge of the “bowl” — a level break about halfway up the waterfall — from which a woman fell to her death last month.</p>
<p>Though signs warn of the dangers of leaving maintained trails, there are no laws or regulations keeping visitors from exploring dangerous areas, explained Dawson.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk learned of the challenges and dangers of rescuing people from the falls and other hiking trails, a complicated process involving many first response agencies, rope lines, and dozens of volunteer responders who put themselves in danger each time.</p>
<p>“One of the things that I’m cognizant of at this point is that the local emergency management folks are very challenged in meeting the demands of this area to help people stay safe,” she said. “So when they’re called out to respond to an accident on a trail, it’s very taxing for them and I want to make sure they have the support they need to be able to respond to concerns.”</p>
<p>One of the first things that struck her — that strikes anyone traveling to or through the area — was the parking situation. Rain kept many visitors away Sunday, but the two parking areas, the larger one known as Molly Smith’s and the lower, smaller one, were both nearly full to capacity, with people beginning to park on the sides of the narrow road.</p>
<p>“Just getting to the trailhead is one challenge,” she said. “The parking and road situation is clearly a safety concern.”</p>
<p>Some in the group, Kukle among them, raised the idea of creating a shuttle to carry visitors from parking areas in Palenville and Tannersville to the Molly Smith parking area to access the falls.</p>
<p>“I definitely support researching that and seeing if that is a viable option,” said Tkaczyk. “And there’s an opportunity at those shuttle points to educate people about approriate footwear, safety, etc. Education is really critical.”</p>
<p>Kukle added that a shuttle would help redirect tourists visiting Kaaterskill Falls to nearby communities.</p>
<p>“A lot of them put in the coordinates to Kaaterskill Falls and have never gone and experienced the region,” he said. “So economically, this is a very, very important part.”</p>
<p>Tkaczyk’s first piece of legislation to pass the state legislature and become law last year was the designation of the Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway, which links Platte Clove Road with sections of Route 23A (including the section containing the Kaaterskill Falls trailhead) and Route 214 in a 41-mile corridor. The designation allows for special protections and federal funding, which the Mountain Clove Scenic Byway Steering Committee (represented Sunday by Yost and Kukle, among others), has been working to leverage to solve the problems discussed.</p>
<p>Takczyk said she would be talking to the New York State Department of Transportation, which manages the road and parking lots, for its input into the issue, as well as talking further with DEC about strategies for protecting the wilderness in the area and enhancing visitor safety.</p>
<p>“It’s been very eye-opening,” she said.</p>
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Recreation and TourismMon, 28 Jul 2014 16:51:10 +0000Jim Plastiras243121 at http://www.nysenate.govDaily Mail: Gillibrand, Tkaczyk host forum for women farmershttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/daily-mail-gillibrand-tkaczyk-host-forum-women-farmers
<p>Monday, July 21, 2014</p>
<p>By Kyle Adams&nbsp;<br /> ATHENS — Women farmers from all over New York came to Greene County on Sunday to talk about the unique challenges and obstacles they face in a forum hosted by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, and the New York State Beginning Women Farmers Program.</p>
<p>About 40 people attended the discussion, held at Crossroads Brewing Company in Athens, to not only voice their concerns, but to find out how the state and federal governments can help.</p>
<p>According to Sarah Williford, of NYS Beginning Women Farmers Program, about 25 percent of farmers in the northeast are women, the highest concentration anywhere in the country — but that does not necessarily translate to farm ownership, she said.</p>
<p>Nationwide, the number of farms run by women increased from 5 percent to 14 percent from 1978 to 2007, according to a 2013 United States Department of Agriculture report.</p>
<p>Some of the major topics of discussion at Sunday’s forum were access to and protections for farmland, access to capital for new or expanding farms, migrant labor, and excessive regulation.</p>
<p>“My sister and I own about 200 acres of farmland and we’re trying to turn it over and actually utilize it as farmland,” said Posie Shaw, who owns Sky Acres Farm and Retreat in Schoharie County with her sister, Jeanne Christiansen. “But we’re lacking equipment and things we need to get going and we feel like were just hitting brick walls every time. We want to farm our land. We want it to be productive.”</p>
<p>The pair said they had trouble even getting neighboring farmers to harvest hay from their fields last year because they had gone fallow. Many of the dairy farms in the county have closed up, they said, so they’re passionate about maintaining this land as a farm instead of selling it off for some other, possibly more lucrative, use.</p>
<p>“This is what we’re looking at for retirement, is to be on the family farm,” said Christiansen. “But it’s so hard to get started without a track record.”</p>
<p>Others had similar stories: trouble holding on to land, acquiring land, or making the best use of the land they have. Tkaczyk, the only active farmer in the state senate, said access to capital for agricultural businesses is undeniably an obstacle.</p>
<p>“We definitely know we need to provide more ways to get access to capital,” she said.</p>
<p>The problem is exacerbated for women, suggested Gillibrand, because of ingrained, likely unnoticed, stereotypes of farming as a male-dominated profession.</p>
<p>“Women-owned businesses typically have a much harder time getting access to capital, it is no secret,” she said. “Women start their businesses with eight times less capital than men do. And largely, it’s because a lot of our lenders are all male.”</p>
<p>Tkaczyk suggested looking for alternative lending institutions outside of banks, like the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, a non-profit community development financial institution.</p>
<p>“They’ve done the types of loans you’re looking for and I would encourage you to reach out to them,” she said to those gathered.</p>
<p>Claudia Kenny, of Little Seeds Farm in Chatham, told the story of one of her workers who has been employed with her for nearly 15 years and has had several children here, but she and her husband now face deportation. She asked Gillibrand and Tkaczyk if there was any path for this woman to become a legal citizen.</p>
<p>Tkaczyk said immigration is a federal issue, and “it’s been very frustrating that [it] has not be dealt with on the national level, because it does impact farmers here and all over the country.”</p>
<p>Gillibrand expressed similar frustrations, noting that it’s been a “struggle” to pass meaningful immigration reform.</p>
<p>“It’s a shame,” she said. “What I wish my conservative colleagues would recognize is there’s a humanitarian issue, but there’s also an economic issue. And if we can’t pass comprehensive immigration reform, we can’t tap into the full potential of our economy. Our farms won’t thrive, we have industries that will lose their workers.”</p>
<p>Carol Clement, owner of Heather Ridge Farm in Preston Hollow, speaking about an issue that all seemed to agree with, said excessive regulations make it difficult for small farms to get started.</p>
<p>“USDA regulations make it really hard for small slaughterhouses to exist,” she said. “We need those regulations looked at and maybe made more appropriate for small farmers.”</p>
<p>In response to Clement and others, Gillibrand said lowering the high cost of doing business in New York — from regulations and mandates to insurance, taxes and workers’ compensation — is a “long-term goal,” but “entirely worth it.”</p>
<p>“It’s going to take a brilliant governor, enormously effective legislature and a lot of will from the community,” she said. “It’s possible, but it’s going to have to be a full-court press.”</p>
<p>Throughout the discussion, guests, representing not just themselves as farmers, but a variety of agricultural groups and organizations, shared resources, tips, and contact information.</p>
<p>“For everyone to leave today knowing one person you’re going to work with going forward is very valuable,” said Gillibrand. “Mentoring each other is the most powerful thing we can do.”</p>
<p>After the forum, both Gillibrand and Tkaczyk said they would take this input back to their offices to look for possible solutions.</p>
<p>“The farmers raised concerns from affordable access to farmland, access to capital, to immigration reform and all those issues fundamentally affect New York State,” said Gillibrand. “These are ideas I’m really going to work hard on in Washington to try to find strategies and tax benefits so farmers can get access to land they need and capital they need to grow.”</p>
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AgricultureMon, 21 Jul 2014 16:06:18 +0000Jim Plastiras242626 at http://www.nysenate.govTimes Herald-Record Editorial: It can’t be about politics because they say it’s nothttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/times-herald-record-editorial-it-can-t-be-about-politics-because-they-say-it-s-not
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">Despite encouragement from above and below, it has been difficult to get local governments to merge operations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">The governor has made it a priority. Many a taxpayer has made it a crusade. So when two governments show that they are ready to get started, that they have considered all of the details and need only final approval from Albany before they start moving the boxes, you would think that nothing could stand in the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">But something did after the towns of Marbletown and Rosendale had agreed to use the old Rosendale Elementary School, a handicapped-accessible, energy-efficient building that straddled the town border. Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, allowing Marbletown to operate its town hall and court 2.8 miles down the road from its present location and just a short distance outside the town boundary zipped through the Assembly. Marbletown even had plans to save more tax money by renting out the old town offices.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, helped get the noncontroversial measure through the Local Government Committee but then things stalled, leaving the towns stranded as the legislative session ended.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">It turned out that the bill had a problem in the form of its sponsor, Sen. Cecelia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg. As Marbletown Supervisor Michael Warren explains it, the merger was going nowhere in the Republican dominated Senate because Tkaczyk, a Democrat, would be getting credit for it in an election year. The majority leader, Dean Skelos, would not let it come to the floor for a vote.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">She ran into a similar problem earlier in the session when she tried to stop other states from disposing their wastewater from hydraulic fracturing in New York. That bill died in committee and the spokesman for the Senate Republicans, Scott Reif, said that Tkaczyk was wrong when she blamed political opposition. She simply did not do her job:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">“Instead of issuing disingenuous press releases accusing people of having dark motives for voting the way they did, maybe Sen. Tkaczyk should have spent a little more time making the case and trying to earn the support of her colleagues,” Reif said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">How about the Marbletown/Rosendale plan? Reif had a familiar answer:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">“Instead of issuing disingenuous press releases accusing people of having dark motives for voting the way they did, maybe Sen. Tkaczyk should have spent a little more time making the case and trying to earn the support of her colleagues,” Reif said.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">Don’t blame Reif. He’s only saying what Skelos and the party bosses tell him to. And although Skelos is the villain in this story, the tendency to put partisan politics above the public good is not limited to the Senate or to Republicans. There are plenty of examples of Democrats flexing their legislative muscles to keep Republicans from getting credit for good ideas as elections approach, most often in the Assembly where Democrats rule.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">That will change only when so many good ideas pile up in the Albany graveyard that they can’t be ignored and either those in the Legislature demand changes in procedures or the voters make the change at the polls.</span></p>
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Local GovernmentMon, 07 Jul 2014 19:07:25 +0000Jim Plastiras241746 at http://www.nysenate.govThe Recorder: At F-FCS, a call to embrace opportunityhttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/recorder-f-fcs-call-embrace-opportunity
<p>Monday, June 30, 2014</p>
<p>By NICOLE ANTONUCCI</p>
<p>FONDA -- The Fonda-Fultonville High School class of 2014 was full of pent-up energy Saturday afternoon, as they gathered in the gymnasium an hour before the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" would usher them from these hallowed halls and into life's great abyss.</p>
<p>Some grabbed a basketball and began to shoot hoops. Others gathered in groups, talking and admiring the decorated graduation caps, which ranged from messages of hope and photograph collages to a 3-D dinosaur display. A few were seen practicing their speeches while others took a few moments alone to calm jitters.</p>
<p>Yet, the energy only heightened when they donned their maroon caps and gowns, pinned each other's corsages and boutonnieres, and walked down the hallway one last time.</p>
<p>"It's the start of a new life and new beginnings," Kayla Wood-man said, as she stood in a group with her friends Kerrigan McCaslin and Jenna Kasza.</p>
<p>McCaslin remarked how fast the time had gone, and recognized the future is filled with many more graduations.</p>
<p>The energy and excitement seemed to have spread to the auditorium where excited family members and friends filled the seats, waving to those they knew across the room, or stopping to say a few words to others.</p>
<p>Then the lights dimmed, revealing two lines of flickering candlelight making its way along both sides of the room, stretching the length of the aisle before stopping. As the band struck up the familiar notes of "Pomp and Circumstance," the 118 graduates made their way to the stage.</p>
<p>The 61st annual commencement ceremony had begun, which state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, described during a speech as one of many milestones to come. After congratulating the graduates, she took a moment to recognize the teachers and family members who had a hand in helping them reach this day. She turned to the graduates and asked them to join her in thanking them.</p>
<p>"Your family members were your first teachers, standing beside you as you learned to walk, to talk, to read, holding your hand, guiding you, encouraging you, pushing you to do your best," Tkaczyk said. "We watched you grow and now we are watching you walk out these doors one final time."</p>
<p>However, before they left, Tkaczyk advised them that if they follow their dreams and love what they do, they will go far.</p>
<p>"When I decided to run for state senate, many of my close friends and family members thought I was crazy. No one thought I could do it. People laughed at me," She said. "It was what they thought. It wasn't what I thought."</p>
<p>She also told them not to be afraid of failing, because it would help them grow; never give up, because persistence is key to accomplishing goals; and be kind others.</p>
<p>"You have opportunities that many of your grandparents and great-grandparents can only dream of. Use them wisely," Tkaczyk concluded. "Go out and change the world because you can and I believe you will."</p>
<p>U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, also offered advice, but first reflected on their educational journey, which not only provided them with knowledge, but the tools to find an identity.</p>
<p>"You now know yourselves, graduates of 2014, more than you did when you boarded that bus as a 4-year-old," Tonko said. "You know your strengths, abilities, desires, skills, passions. Take those ingredients that are unique to you and make them work."</p>
<p>Tonko said it was important to not only use those ingredients but to do so while making a difference on the world.</p>
<p>"There is a lot of unfinished business out there. There is injustice to turn around, challenges to conquer, mountains to climb. Go out and do it with gusto. Go and conquer the world," Tonko urged. "It's all about you, class of 2014. Go out there and do. Let them know who you are."</p>
<p>Before receiving this advice, however, the graduates heard from their peers, beginning with valedictorian Monica Derby, who delivered a speech called "Learning." Derby explained that she had planned to write about what she had learned as a student at F-FCS but instead she could only think of memories. Memories that included hitting her first softball, riding her first bike, changing a nephew's diaper, and more.</p>
<p>"It compelled me to take a step back in order to really look at the big picture," Derby said. "Just because our high school education is coming to an end, it doesn't mean we're finished learning; we have only just begun."</p>
<p>She told her peers that everyone has something to teach, but they would have to be patient enough to listen. Rather than try to achieve as much as they can as fast they can, she told them to step on the brake.</p>
<p>"I challenge everyone in this auditorium today to be a sponge, allow yourself to learn a lesson or discover something new as often as possible," Derby said. "Let your chores and mundane tasks wait until tomorrow. Instead, revel in the gift of today, of those around you. And don't forget that everyone else is learning from you as well. What do you want to teach the world?"</p>
<p>Salutatorian Jeananna Warner was next with her speech, called "Reflections," in which she looked back on the past 13 years, starting when she boarded the bus for her first day of school as a 5-year-old, feeling nervous.</p>
<p>"Ironically, what first seemed scary quickly turned out to be the beginning of a fun and exciting journey," she said, reflecting on the class trips, school plays, and athletic events that would ensue.</p>
<p>Warner said time has flown and now many are wondering how their lives are going to turn out and what their next steps will be.</p>
<p>"The future is no longer a distant reality. It begins here. It begins today," she said. "We first entered this building as small children. But today, we're leaving as adults. I encourage you to embrace the opportunity before you. Take what you have learned over the past 13 years and put it to good use."</p>
<p>Gianna Mancini, who was the third top student, added that it is important to never give up. In her speech, "Words of Wisdom," Mancini spoke about famous authors, entrepreneurs, athletes and inventors, who, before achieving success, had many failures.</p>
<p>"The greatest artists aren't preoccupied with what the critics say. They enjoy the journey, despite the obstacles, because they are doing something that has meaning in their lives," Mancini said. "If we can learn to never give up and dare to fail, there is nothing outside of our reach. Only we can limit our possibilities."</p>
<p>In a speech titled, "The Rest is Unwritten," Carly Littlejohn told her peers that while they can't control what happens in life, they do have choices that can affect the outcome.</p>
<p>Littlejohn said over the years, they taught by by teachers and guided by friends and family, but the future lies in their own hands.</p>
<p>"As we walk out of these auditorium doors for the final time as graduates and into the next phase of our lives, we choose our own path and direction," she said. "We have the pen to write the next chapter in our lives. The rest is unwritten, so make it unforgettable."</p>
<p>The list of speeches concluded with Superintendent Raymond Colucciello, whose parting words were touched with humor, and had the audience in a fit of laughter. It started when he made fun of his age, telling the students that his advice was old-school. But he said he would not talk about "traveling to school for miles in both directions, in snow 12-feet deep with my friend Abe Lincoln."</p>
<p>However, before bestowing his words of advice, Colucciello revealed a secret that graduates seemed to be hiding.</p>
<p>"I know that some of you are anxious to get to that river spot I have heard all about," he said, which drew laughter and "uh-ohs" from the crowd. "So I am going to make very few remarks, because I already know where it is, guys."</p>
<p>Once the laughter died down, Colucciello passed on to them four values that they need to remember in order to succeed: hard work, believing in themselves, honesty and integrity, and giving to others.</p>
<p>He said these are values that they have been following for years and it was why F-FCS has consistently ranked among the top 25 percent of the 85 school districts in the region. It is also the reason why the district has been able to award more than $100,000 in scholarships, he said.</p>
<p>"Oh, I forgot one more," Colucciello said before pausing. "Always wear clean underwear. I know you knew that, but keep that one."</p>
<p>The audience burst into laughter and applause. The scholarship presentations were next and then it was time for the graduates to receive their long-awaited diplomas. After that, it was time to exit the auditorium and enter the next chapter.</p>
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EducationTue, 01 Jul 2014 01:25:43 +0000Jim Plastiras241276 at http://www.nysenate.govThe Daily Mail: NY Senate honors an ‘extraordinary individual’ http://www.nysenate.gov/news/daily-mail-ny-senate-honors-extraordinary-individual
<p>Louise McRoberts receives Liberty Medal</p>
<p>&nbsp;Friday, June 20, 2014</p>
<p>By Michael Ryan Columbia-Greene Media</p>
<p>WINDHAM — The highest honor given to an individual by the New York State Senate was presented to Louise McRoberts of Windham, leading up to Memorial Day.</p>
<p>McRoberts received the Liberty Medal in a ceremony hosted by VFW Post #1545 in Windham on May 23, presented by State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk.</p>
<p>“It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made significant contributions to the quality of life therein,” a legislative resolution states.</p>
<p>“From time to time this legislative body takes note of certain extraordinary individuals it wishes to recognize... and publicly acknowledges their endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among us all,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>“This legislative body is justly proud to [pause in its deliberations] to honor Louise McRoberts,” the resolution states, noting the Liberty Medal was established this year to single out individuals performing exceptional, heroic or humanitarian acts.</p>
<p>Mrs. McRoberts has been assisting others virtually non-stop since World War II when she followed her brothers, cousins and friends into harm’s way.</p>
<p>“Of the thousands of troops who enlisted in the United States Armed Services during the Second World War, approximately 400,000 women served” with medical units or as clerical aids, the resolution states.</p>
<p>Mrs. McRoberts “had the distinction of serving in both capacities, first helping to care for the wounded returning stateside during the Battle of the Bulge, and later in Germany serving with General George S. Patton’s Third Army, weeks after the surrender of the Third Reich,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>Poignantly telling her story, the resolution notes Mrs. McRoberts was born in Hollis, Queens, in October, 1924, the daughter of Erna and Henry Kading.</p>
<p>She was a teenager when the war began, too young to enlist, signing up with the Women’s Army Corp. in 1944, on her 20th birthday.</p>
<p>“During her instruction at an Army camp in Georgia, although women were never assigned combat duties, Louise McRoberts’ basic training was just as rigorous as that for men, with the same level of physical activity,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>“Soon after her training, [she] was deployed to a medical unit, serving in a triage-type capacity as wounded Americans arrived by the thousands during the infamous Battle of the Bulge.</p>
<p>“McRoberts was stationed at Camp Shanks which holds the distinction of being the nation’s largest embarkation point for troops being deployed overseas, including 75 percent of those involved in the D-day invasions.</p>
<p>“At the time it was dubbed “Last Stop USA,” the resolution states, noting, “for weeks, and in shifts which lasted for days, the soldiers continued to arrive at the medical unit where Louise McRoberts was assigned, sorting them for care, depending on the severity of their wounds.</p>
<p>“By early May, 1945, Germany had surrendered and Louise McRoberts was assigned to Patton’s Third Army, special services. This duty would take her to Heidelberg, Germany, where she would handle postwar furloughs for GI’s and arrange for entertainment for the troops.</p>
<p>“In August, 1945, Louise McRoberts was on her way to Germany when she heard the United States had dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The unit she was traveling with was briefly detained in France. She observed much devastation but was joyed hearing the war had ended,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>Marrying her military sweetheart, Charles McRoberts, after the war, the couple together had two children, then moved to the mountains in the early 1960’s.</p>
<p>Picking up where she really never left off, “Louise McRoberts [now nearly 90 years old] has remained active in her community and attends many military commemorative events,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>“She has volunteered extensively to help others, has worked with the Meals on Wheels program, is active in reading for youth programs and is active in her church,” while also attending VFW meetings and functions, the resolution states.</p>
<p>Never sitting still for very long, McRoberts has three grandchildren and, in 2010, was a Greene County veteran enjoying one of the Honor Flights to the World War II Memorial in our nation’s capital.</p>
<p>“The dedication and sacrifices of our military personnel ensure our continued role as a Nation which embodies the ideals of democracy and is a defender of liberty for peoples throughout the world,” the resolution states.</p>
<p>“It is the sense of this legislative body to pay the highest tribute to the valiant service displayed by the members of the United States Armed Force during that time of crisis,” the resolution states, including among them Windham’s own Louise McRoberts.</p>
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VeteransFri, 20 Jun 2014 20:12:41 +0000Jim Plastiras240271 at http://www.nysenate.govThe Recorder: Legislature OKs Mohawk fire coverage for village of Fondahttp://www.nysenate.gov/news/recorder-legislature-oks-mohawk-fire-coverage-village-fonda
<p>Thursday, June 19, 2014</p>
<p>By NICOLE ANTONUCCI</p>
<p>TOWN OF MOHAWK -- The state Legislature passed a bill Wednesday allowing the town to expand its fire district to include the village of Fonda.</p>
<p>The bill, which was authored by Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, comes a year after the village of Fonda dissolved its fire department and entered a contractual arrangement with the town of Mohawk.</p>
<p>"Shared governmental services help to streamline operations and save taxpayers money," Tkaczyk said. "Extending the fire district into the village of Fonda will save money, increase the pool of volunteer firefighters available, and maintain effective and efficient fire service."</p>
<p>Because fire departments can only draw volunteers from the areas they serve, extending service into Fonda will expand the pool of volunteers available. Extending service also eliminates the need for a contractual agreement, further reducing administrative costs.</p>
<p>Mohawk Supervisor Edward Bishop said the bill is a formality to legalize the town's coverage of the village.</p>
<p>"The contractual arrangement was only temporary until the legislature approved it," Bishop said, adding he was not sure of the contract's terms.</p>
<p>However, he said the only difference the bill's passage makes is the collection of taxes for the fire department.</p>
<p>"The village fire department is supported by their taxpayers so they have collected their tax money for their fire department. It would only be money that they have collected that would now be in support of the town to cover the village," he said.</p>
<p>Bishop expects the equipment in the village fire department will be used by the town.</p>
<p>Fonda Mayor William Peeler could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>Fonda officially dissolved the volunteer fire department in February 2012, citing the increased cost of operations, duplication of services, and the ability and willingness of the town of Mohawk Fire District to take over fire protection services in the village.</p>
<p>At the time, Peeler had reported an estimated annual cost savings of $20,000, which would be used to make infrastructure improvements throughout the village.</p>
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Government OperationsThu, 19 Jun 2014 22:19:42 +0000Jim Plastiras239986 at http://www.nysenate.gov